An unworthy Deacon, named for the brother of God: James, striving to "work out his salvation with fear and trembling" within the Tradition (paradosis) of the Eastern Orthodox Faith. It is a strange and marvelous journey, and I am accompanied by the fourfold fruit of my fecundity. My wife, the Matushka or Diaconissa Sophia, is my beloved partner in the pursuit of Theosis, and she ranks me in every way.

Friday, December 14, 2007

The way things used to be

David Gelernter has written an outstanding article about the "demise of romantic love." The article saddens me actually because it shines a very bright light on how far we have come (some erroneously refer to such things as "progressive" whereas I would term them regressive) from the age of chivalry and nobility.

I recall being indoctrinated - yes indoctrinated - to believe that being a man today means you should never fight over the issue of honor. But in order to sell this notion that made a mockery of the notion of "honor." It was built upon an image of stuffy, uptight, pride, and testosterone-ridden men who could not suffer any manner of insult. This, to them who would indoctrinate us, was the manhood of ages past. Any seemingly good aspects of chivalry and nobility, they would simply dismiss as being a facade, an example of hypocrisy. "Nobody REALLY lived up to these ideals," they tell us, and in so doing we can feel better about not even trying to. As someone once noted here: "If you are not a hypocrite, then your morals aren't high enough." Any marksman will tell you that it makes no sense to move your target to a place you can hit everytime. (e.g. your own head).

I think, much of the feminization of MANkind that we must admit has taken place today was fueled by pointing to strawmen stereotypes of manhood. It is one thing to envision two stupid rednecks breaking beer bottles over each others heads because of an argument over Ford vs. Checy, but it is quite another to see a man standing up to a vile drunk who insults his wife in front of his children. Gelernter argues that feminism shot itself in the foot and gave men a license to treat women like crap while convincing them they are actually treating them like equals. When in fact, REAL honor, chivalry, and nobility sought to treat woman as superiors. And it wasn't an exercise in mindless machismo...honor and nobility also meant you were able to, willing to, and adept at apologizing and admitting your failings - at LEAST as well as we are today. So what have we gained?

As Kirkwood points out in this article I've noted before: We've gained nothing and lost much. Manhood is ridiculed and displayed as sitting about watching "The Man Show" and talking crudely about women. Something chivalrous men of ages past would not have tolerated.

Compare and contrast any 19th century love letter to a modern cell phone text message to one's "ho". I rest my case. Science is wrong, we are actually devolving.

As "progressives" continue to move our society "forward" I really do not know where we will end up. How hard it is to teach our children about REAL love, REAL devotion, REAL sacrifice, REAL honor, REAL nobility in this world where these things are redefined into the ethereal realm of subjective non-being, or simply ridiculed.

Actually, upon further reflection, how hard it is for US (as parents) to learn these things as well. We may believe them, but we have already been taught not to practice them.

I could babble on and on about this. I count the whole affair a perfect example of how supposed "liberation" is actually imprisonment. The corset - popularly portrayed today as the very symbol of old constraints - is nothing compared to today's standards of feminine beauty in which our women are starving themselves to death, cutting their bodies open to insert silicone filled bags, mutilating their faces with surgery, and having to constantly attend body-image psychologist sessions - complete with anti-depressant drug prescriptions. And what do they get in return? Chivalrous love and devotion and commitment? Nope, they are referred to as "ho's", dated and never courted, lusted for but rarely loved, and gawked at by drooling men who bounce about like wild chimps seeking only to further liberate the woman. Yes, you've come a long way baby.

1 Comments:

And how important it is for us parents (of both genders) to model this behavior. Not just boys to girls...we can teach the pre-adolescent "girls are icky" boys to be gentle with and care for younger kids. Even (gasp) siblings. Then they're at least familiar with the behavior.

No reason little boys can't open doors for women, that's what I say. Even if they need a little help from Mom.